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Recent documents in EDU-COM International Conferenceen-usTue, 31 Oct 2017 17:04:17 PDT3600Technical Education 2020 in Singapore: Better Quality, Higher Performance and More Choices through a Market Approachhttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/112
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/112Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:53 PDT
This article aims to create a vision for technical education in Singapore in the year 2020, and the likely outcomes in terms of quality, performance and choice. Singapore is today one of the world‘s most globalised nations and it has achieved notable economic success. The current technical education system with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) as the principal provider can be considered highly successful after more than 40 years of development. By analysing the evolution of a contemporary governance model employed by ITE and juxtaposing it with growing global trends in school choice, privatisation and marketisation, there is reason to expect further changes in institutional governance towards more empowerment and use of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach to promote greater engagement of the private sector. Visions are created through conceptual analysis of the evolution of a contemporary governance model and concept plans already in place for further development of technical education in Singapore. To date, ITE has introduced the ‗One ITE System, Three Colleges‘ governance model for greater autonomy in frontline operations and has proceeded to use the PPP approach to develop its planned new campuses. With Singapore well known as a nation which strives for excellence in everything it does and ITE embracing the vision to be ‗A Global Leader in Technical Education‘, it is likely that in 2020, technical education in Singapore would offer better quality, higher performance and more choices. This article systematically looks at key governance issues and the PPP approach for technical education, anticipating how they would affect the quality, performance, and delivery of technical education in Singapore and arriving at visions for ‗Technical Education 2020 in Singapore‘.
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Tiew Ming YekThe Effects of a Brain Development-Based Maternal Training Package (BDBMTP) on Parenting Techniques and Preschool Child Developmenthttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/111
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/111Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:51 PDT
Background: The early years of life are crucial in shaping long term outcomes for children. The research consistently demonstrates that families have the greatest impact on the young. In this research traditional parenting is compared with parenting skills developed with an understanding of recent neurobiological research and its understanding of child development. These new parenting skills are taught through the training programme named BDB-MTP (Brain Development-based Maternal Training Package). Methods: The subjects consisted of 78 mothers and their 78 preschool children, divided into 2 equal groups. A non-equivalent control group design was used. A range of measures were taken before the commencement of the programme, on completion, and at follow-up 5 months later. For the parents, these measures included a parent questionnaire and the Parent Stress Index for the children, the Preschool Readiness Inventory and Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales were used. The data were analysed using MANCOVA and multiple regressions. Result: The findings revealed that the BDB-MTP yielded better results than the TPT (Traditional Parenting Technique) in various areas. As a whole, on average, the stress of the mothers in the former group is significantly less than those in the latter group in the posttest and their stress levels are insignificantly different in the follow-up study. The stress levels of the mothers in both groups were significantly different in 4 aspects in the posttest and 2 aspects in the follow-up study. The effect sizes of the trainings on the 2 aspects were moderate. Mother education had a significant effect on parenting techniques and child development in both groups, and most mothers in the experimental group agree that the BDB-MTP package was beneficial for them, and that further training should be provided. Conclusion: How can family best be supported when offering effective rearing experiences for their children? How can findings from the study in parent education, especially those relating to preschool child development best be used?
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Anchalee TunsiriEmpowering Students’ Learning Achievement Through Project-Based Learning As Perceived By Electrical Instructors And Studentshttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/110
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/110Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:49 PDT
Purposes of this research were to find out factors empowering electrical students‘ learning achievement through Project-Based Learning (PBL) as perceived by instructors‘ and students‘ opinions. The sample chosen for this study were 247 electrical power instructors at vocational education institutes and 161 electrical students in the 3 rd and 4th year who were studying in the 1st semester of academic year 2006 at Electrical Education Department, Faculty of Industrial Education and Technology, King Mongkut‘s University of Technology Thonburi by using simple random sampling. The instrument used for data collection was 7 rating scales questionnaire. The reliability of the instrument calculated by Cronbach Alpha Coefficient was 0.8185 and 0.9839, respectively. The data were analysed by using mean ( ), Standard Deviation (S.D.) and Analysis of Factors by Principal Component Analysis technique: PCA, orthogonal rotation axis by Varimax Method. The results of the study on factors empowering electrical students‘ learning achievement through Project-Based Learning (PBL) were as follows: both instructors and students agreed on Interesting/Attention(0.799 and 0.885, respectively) while other factors such as Planning(0.722), Sharing Ideas(0.582), Thinking(0.576), Facilitating (0.547), Constructionism (0.540), Scientific Process (0.525), Multiple Intelligence (0.479), and Goal Setting(0.453) were perceived by instructors, and students‘ opinions were on Advising/Guiding(0.863), Thinking(0.661), Goal Setting (0.634), Multiple Intelligence(0.553), Scientific Process(0.528), Assisting(0.524), and Sharing Ideas (0.492), if not more so.
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Anuvat Tongsakul et al.Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Grade 7 Students in Thailand: Genre-Based versus Traditional Methodhttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/109
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/109Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:48 PDT
This study compared a genre-based method of teaching English to Prathom (grade) 7 secondary students in Thailand and a traditional method. Rasch-generated linear scales were created to measure reading comprehension (based on 18 items with 300 students) and attitude and behaviour to learning EFL (based on 36 items with 296 students). The data for both scales had a good fit to a Rasch measurement model, good separation of measures compared to the errors, good targeting, and the response categories were answered consistently and logically, so that valid inferences could be drawn. Ninety students from three secondary schools in Ratchaburi, Thailand, were assigned randomly to an experimental group (N=45) taught using genre-based rhetorical structures (narrative, journalistic, expository) and a control group (N=45) taught by a Thai traditional method. Pretest and posttest measures were administered and mean differences were tested for significance using ANOVA (SPSS). It was found that: (1) students improved their English reading comprehension under the genre-based learning method significantly more than under the Thai traditional method; (2) Students improved their attitude and behaviour towards learning EFL significantly more under the genre-based learning method than under the Thai traditional method of teaching.
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Sanguansri Torok et al.Student Perceptions of Problem Solving through a Pair Programming Techniquehttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/108
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/108Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:46 PDT
Research suggests that it is important to facilitate interaction between students as well as engagement with course materials in the first year of university. In addition, there is increasing emphasis on graduate abilities in teamwork, communication and problem solving. In the software development industry, teamwork is essential. One innovative methodology for modern software development is paired programming, a technique that has not been widely addressed at the tertiary level. This research evaluates the success of implementing a paired programming technique with first year computer science students, through the evaluation of the learning experience from the students‘ perspective.
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J E. Terry et al.Using Reflective Journeys to Engage and Empower Leadership Teamshttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/107
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/107Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:45 PDT
The Reflective Leader Development Workshop was designed to professionally and personally develop individual leaders in the health care and education industries into working teams. It was used to meld the individual nursing administrators and school heads in the Master of Education (Educational Management) programme at Universiti Brunei Darussalam into small cooperative leadership learning teams that would function after the programme, as workplace support networks. However, the need for renewal of leadership is always present. It readily became obvious that a workshop using reflective journeys could engage and empower leadership teams in the workplace at individual and group levels. So the workshop is now available locally and regionally as a four day consultancy promoting powerful distributed leadership in the workplace. The key to this personalised yet group learning process is of the type that anthropologists have documented as being in use in tribes and communities since pre-history. It is a four-day live-in retreat workshop that uses powerful ‗rite of passage‘ processes to engage and renew team spirit. This workshop process entails; (1) separating from one‘s usual workday; (2) immersing into a personal journey of interaction, discussion, reflection; and (3) finally emerging from this ‗liminal world‘ to an invigorated sense of ‗integration and oneness‘ with personal and professional insight. The workshop content includes the reflective and relationship aspects of a typical leader adventure course without being too physical, thus allowing leaders of all physical abilities to fully participate. Pent-up isolation and uncertainty from being exposed to isolating workplace structures and day to day stress suddenly evaporate during the workshop. Leader behaviour change is dramatic. After the workshop, a sense of energised synergy radiates from the participants. This readily converts into motivated and inspired leadership renewal.
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T J. SullivanA Real-Time Virtual Classroom System with Two-Way Communication for Distance Learning at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Thailandhttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/106
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/106Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:43 PDT
Because of high demands for higher education in the provinces of Thailand, the school of Industrial Education and Technology at KMUTT has started off-campus courses since 2002. However, the major problem of operation is distance. To cope with the problem, a real-time virtual classroom system with two-way communication has been developed. The system has to overcome the bandwidth problem, which is the major struggle of web-based learning in Thailand, and to maintain the two-way communication between instructors and students. To cope with those problems, video streaming and live chat systems are used. The technique is the trade-off between two-way and low bandwidth communications. The system consists of video broadcasting, slides, and a live chat system. Instructors give lectures using the video broadcasting and slides, and students can use the live chat system to ask questions. Moreover, the instructor may ask a few questions via the live chat system. The questions are shown on the instructor‘s screen and stored in the instructor‘s database. The instructor has a choice to re-explain unclear topics, or to answer the questions after the topics. Students may ask questions or answer to other questions via the live chat system. This project used a PHP programming with MySQL databases for managing the data and databases of the website.
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Surachai Suksakulchai et al.Congruent Leadership and Empowermenthttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/105
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/105Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:41 PDT
Who are the clinical nurse leaders? What are the qualities and characteristics of clinical nurse leaders? Why they are seen as clinical leaders and what might their experiences of clinical leadership be? This paper outlines a research project that sought to explore these questions. The research discussed involved surveying registered/qualified nurses (n = 830) who staffed 36 clinical areas in one acute NHS Trust in the English Midlands. The data proved a rich source of information about clinical leadership, the attributes of clinical leaders and who might be recognised as a clinical leader. The questionnaire was followed by interviews with 42 qualified nurses on four clinical areas in the same NHS Trust and these were followed by 8 further interviews with nurses identified from the interviews as clinical nurse leaders. The results demonstrate that clinical leaders appeared to be present at all nursing levels and in considerable numbers, but they were often not the most senior nurses and their approach to clinical leadership was based upon a foundation of care that was fundamental to their values and beliefs or view of nursing and care. This resulted in the proposition of a new leadership theory: Congruent Leadership. The attributes of clinical leaders appeared to be clinical competence, clinical knowledge, approachability, motivation, decision making, effective communication, being a role model, visibility and empowerment.
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David StanleyIternational Postgraduate Student Experience: How Can We Enhance Transition Management?http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/104
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/104Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:40 PDT
Within the broad scope of literature addressing the issue of student experience very limited attention has been given to examining the particular issues impacting international students. This paper draws attention to transition as an aspect impacting the international postgraduate (IP) student experience within a School of Computer and Information Science with a high proportion of IP students (65-75%). Literature relating to both, first year experience and international onshore education provided a frame of reference for a pilot survey (N=58) investigating student perceptions and attitudes on choice of study destination; academic orientation, application and coping; future orientation; social integration and belonging; university structures and processes; peer engagement, and course satisfaction. This paper discusses the issues of academic and social integration. While the findings suggest a positive overall IP student experience, critical areas for improvement in transitional support were identified to enhance both academic and social integration. The recommended transition strategies include implementation of course specific academic orientation programmes, integration of academic, research and generic skills development into the curriculum, provision of English language development resources, initiatives to raise staff awareness and promote cross cultural sensitivity within the teaching and learning environment, and incorporation of a range of ongoing social activities to promote staff-student and student-student interaction, communication and belonging.
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K Singh et al.The Islamic Azad University And Iran’s Social Developmenthttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/103
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/103Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:38 PDT
Higher education in an era of emerging organizational model, being recognized as one of the principal social affairs and a delicate endeavour, can not and should not be left with the government alone. In an attempt to lighten the government‘s responsibility to provide the nation with higher education, Islamic Azad University was established in Iran. With the growing tendencies of Iranian families in making their children enter university along with the soaring demand for higher education, the government itself could not have been able to satisfy the needs. Meanwhile, training and education can be seen as the main factors in improving living conditions and standards in the modern world today. All societies, more or less, consider education, especially higher education as their main concern, and prepared to pay the price for it. This paper argues the IAU‘s role in Iran. The Impacts and implications between IAU and Iranian society would be discussed.
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Ratchaporn SimbarInternational And Industry Partnerships Building Nursing Capacity In Thailandhttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/102
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/102Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:37 PDT
A newly formed partnership between Edith Cowan University, the Ministry of Public Health in Thailand, a College of Nursing and two major hospitals in Bangkok is building capacity within Thai Nurses to manage mental health problems and HIV/AIDS. The partnership, funded through the AusAID Public Sector Linkages Program is developing and delivering these training programs in three phases. The first two phases support the development of the curriculum and planning for the course delivery, with Phase 3 being the delivery of a four month certificate course in each of the specialist areas, mental health and HIV/AIDS, to local Thai Nurses. The program provides the opportunity for senior Thai Nurse Educators to gain insight into the Australian perspective of the relevant specialist areas as well as the broader Australian health system. Participants have then been able to review the course curricula and teaching methodologies, including additional and revised information and strategies as is relevant to the Thai health environment. An integral component of the program is evaluation. Following completion of the courses, nurses will be followed up on return to their workplace, to assess the impact of the course on the work practices of nurses. The program evaluation will support better understanding of emerging issues for all program partners and provide a strong basis for refinement of the program for future delivery. At the time of the ECU-COM 2006 conference, the program will be at the stage where the Thai nurses are completing the four month course. This paper will discuss the progress of the program to date, from the perspective of the Australian program partner.
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Marita Sealey et al.Improving Community Water Conservation Behaviour in Chachoengsao, Thailandhttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/101
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/101Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:35 PDT
The issue of water supply throughout the world is of concern for many reasons. A major factor is water pollution by industry, agriculture and residential sectors. Less than 3% of water is fresh and potable, while the remainder is saline. It is projected that by the year 2025, two-thirds of the world‘s population will encounter moderate to severe water shortages. As a result of unsustainable development over the past decade, Thailand has faced pollution problems as well as the depletion of many natural resources. These problems have impacted the country‘s main rivers (Chaopraya River, Thachine River, and the Bangpakong River), that are crucial to a sustainable economy, society, and culture. There needs to be a concentrated effort at all levels (individual to community) to address this problem. Individuals from specific communities can directly influence water quality in their own settlement or neighbourhood. This paper reports on a collaborative water conservation project undertaken in the Talad Banmai and Talad Bone communities in Chachoengsao province, Thailand. Two hundred and nineteen community volunteers participated for five months in the Water Conservation Campaign (WCC).Many different types of activities were implemented in the communities with pre and posttest data being collected on a range of behaviours. This paper will discuss the campaign as well as the results which demonstrated the effectiveness of the WCC on the intervention group, compared with the control group in posttest and partial effectiveness in the follow up. Community involvement in a water conservation campaign is an effective, empowering and useful approach to address the issue of water pollution in the Bangpakong River.
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Kuakul Sathapornvajana et al.A Systematic Review Of The Roles And Competencies Of Medical Information Professionals(Mips) In Evidence-Based Medicine In Thailandhttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/100
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/100Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:34 PDT
The aim of this study was to systematically review the roles and competencies of Medical Information Professionals (MIPs: non-medical personnel who are information technology and medical library literacy) in supporting clinicians in the practice of evidence-based medicine (EBM) as reported in the published literature. It analysed and synthesized information from textbooks on EBM and research and review articles drawn from MEDLINE using the following keywords: ―evidence-based medicine‖, ―information seeking and physician‖, ―information need and physician‖, ―EBM librarian‖, ―clinical librarian‖, ―library service‖, ―informationist‖, and ―knowledge management‖. Information from research articles published in local journals and conference proceedings was also included evidence-based medicine (EBM) is defined as the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about patient care. The impact on the medical profession has been to emphasize information processing such as the searching of and appraising medical evidence. Important obstacles to the practice of EBM, from the point of view of the clinicians, include: lack of time; the complexity in the use of the resources; the quality and quantity of evidence resources; lack of infrastructure, technology and information seeking ability; attitude of information service providers; and location of clinicians‘ office. MIPs can help support clinicians by taking on, and acquiring, new roles and competencies such as: quality filtering; literature searching; teaching and managing medical information and associated technology; basic knowledge of EBM and critical appraisal; and preparing systematic reviews. Studies have shown that MIPs can improve their roles and competencies in helping the implementation of EBM. Outcomes indicate the clinician‘s satisfaction and their improvement in patient care. Supporting the practice of EBM will challenge MIPs in Thailand to adjust their roles and competencies following Thai clinician information seeking behaviour, and thus will set the new roles and competencies for MIPs in Thailand.
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Somrux Sahapong et al.Forging Partnerships in Health Care: Process and Measuring Benefitshttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/99
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/99Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:32 PDT
Universally, there is concern that much academic learning has dealt mainly in theory, removing knowledge from context with a resultant lack of practical experience. Here, the catalyst for strengthening university-community engagement, emanated from a desire to foster greater propensity within students to make connections between their academic courses and responsibility toward the community and people in need, and thus develop enhanced skills in social interaction, teamwork and effectiveness. This paper explores a variety of models of university-community engagement that aim to achieve and model good practice in policy making and planning around healthcare education and service development. Ways of integrating teaching and learning with community engagement, so there is reciprocal learning with significant benefits to the community, students, the university and industry are described. The communities of engagement for a transdisciplinary approach in healthcare are defined and the types of collaborative partnerships are outlined, including public/private partnerships, service learning approaches and regional campus engagement. The processes for initiating innovation in this field, forging sustainable partnerships, providing cooperative leadership and building shared vision are detailed. Measuring shared and sustained benefits for all participants is examined in the context of effecting changes in working relationships as well as the impact on students in terms of increased personal and social responsibility, confidence and competence. For the health professions, it is considered vital to adopt this approach in order to deliver graduates who feel aware of community needs, believe they can make a difference, and have a greater sense of community responsibility, ethic of service and more sophisticated understandings of social contexts. In the longer term, it is proposed the strategy will deliver a future healthcare workforce that is more likely to have a strengthened sense of community, social and personal responsibility and thus effect positive social change.
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Cobie RuddE-Learning 2.0: New Frontier For Student Empowermenthttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/98
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/98Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:31 PDT
Second generation web applications (Web 2.0) are transforming elearning and opening new frontiers for learner empowerment, control and engagement. New online technologies allow individuals to filter and control existing content (aggregation), easily create new content (personal publishing) and rapidly communicate, inform and distribute this information with peers through online social networking services. Learners are able to construct highly personalized learning environments, assembled from a very large range of tools available on the internet, including blogs, wikis, podcasts and social bookmarking sites. Together the technical and social advances which characterize this change may even constitute a paradigm shift, which some authors refer to as eLearning 2.0. This paper identifies emergent themes evident in this literature, and relates these themes to social, individual and scholarly empowerment by contrasting traditional eLearning with eLearning 2.0. The analysis is approached from a social constructivist perspective, applied to the technology, its pedagogical rationale and its impact on the university. The paper postulates that if individual empowerment is a necessary precondition for the adoption of these tools, then we will need to reconceptualize the policies, practices and purposes of our educational institutions.
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William RennerCommunity-Based English Course in Local Perspectiveshttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/97
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/97Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:29 PDT
The paper aims to investigate how a community-based English language course can assist learners in the development of language skills and local cultural knowledge. The samples were 17 undergraduate English major students in Faculty of Education, Rajabhat Rajanagarindra University. The qualitative method was mainly employed in the study. Data were collected through unstructured interviews and participant observation. The strategies used in data analysis were analytic induction and typological analysis. The findings revealed that motivation, experiential learning, and collaboration played significant roles in the process of language and culture learning. The paper also discusses the significance of local perspectives when the course is designed. Local resources can be utilized and mobilizes for life long learning.
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Ratchaporn RattanaphummaEnglish Learning Support for Working Staff: A Case Study of Bimonthly Bilingual Posters for Staff Working in an Academic Universityhttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/96
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/96Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:28 PDT
The purpose of this study was to examine the impacts of providing English learning support for non-academic staff working in King Mongkut‘s University of Technology Thonburi. Staffs working in fields other than academia lack an opportunity to practice English. To do this, a series of bimonthly bilingual poster called KMUTT: I‘m Learning English was proposed. First released in March, the posters appeared twice a month in restrooms and elevators, as well as on the website. They covered such topics as news, fables, and conversations at work, sayings, and trivia. The researcher examined the impacts of this approach by surveying staff via personal interviews. The findings were as follows: (a) Staff found the posters helpful to their English revival; (b) Staff discovered their potentials to learn things; and (c) Staff felt more comfortable learning English by themselves.
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Suthee PloisawaschaiBuilding Empowered Students: The Perennial Challenge for University Teachershttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/95
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/95Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:26 PDT
This paper contends that if higher education is to be relevant, then the curriculum must incorporate generic, transferable lifeskills (also referred to as ‗generic graduate attributes‘) in addition to the regular subject content of their specific discipline or programme. There is a general consensus among educationists and business people alike that much of what students learn today won't be true five years from now. However, if they are taught how to take responsibility for their own ideas, how to think and communicate a problem through and how to have a positive can-do attitude, then no matter what subject matter is used to get these generic, transferable life skills across, they are being given something they can use throughout their lives. This is one of the biggest challenges facing university teachers across the globe today - teachers of tomorrow's leaders. By making use of Hopson and Scally's work on Lifeskills Teaching and William Purkey's ideas on Invitational Learning, the paper will outline ways in which this could be achieved.
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Patsy PaxtonHow do you like it? Student Perspectives On Remote E-Learninghttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/94
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/94Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:25 PDT
Edith Cowan University (ECU) is embracing e-learning as its preferred mode of distance education. E-learning has changed the mode, pedagogy and style of learning for distance education students. The convenience of studying online has provided numerous opportunities for remote learners but what is the reality of their educational experience via e-learning? This paper reports on a smallscale research project that examined e-learning from the student‘s perspective. The views of ECU distance education students in Singapore, Thailand, and remote parts of Australia were analysed in order to learn how to better support their needs.
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Jeremy Pagram et al.Project Priyadarshini: Empowering Students and Teachers to be Agents of Social Changehttp://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/93
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ceducom/93Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:06:24 PDT
Colleges and universities were regarded as ―Ivory Towers‖ kept aloof from the society and its life. But gradually it is being realised that teachers of higher education cannot do justice to their roles and responsibilities if they do not contribute their might to the realization of national goals, fulfilment of their social commitments and be the agents of social change. In our B Ed College, the students are provided opportunities to work with the community in collaboration with NGOs. In addition to this, last year, a concentrated effort was made to empower both the teachers and the student teachers by enabling them to work with differently abled students through the Project Priyadarshini. Priyadarshini means one with pleasant appearance. We, at K. J. Somaiya College of Education, had the privilege of kindling the spark in the young minds of many visually impaired college going girls by training them in etiquette, communication skills, self managing skills and life skills, thus inculcating in them a winning attitude. The college also acquainted them with role models in order to raise their levels of aspiration and set for themselves higher goals. The project truly saw the transformation of the young participants into a more confident, determined to successfully combat the challenges of life. The project also left both the teachers and the students more enlightened and more confident about playing their role as agents of social change by making us understand the complex realities that lie behind the word ‗differently abled‘. This paper is an attempt to share our unique experiences about student staff partnership towards leadership and empowerment in order to play effectively our role as agents of social change.
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Vasundhara Padmanabhan